Allan check with John Taylor on FB he lives in Gastonia and makes the trip every year.

Pretty simple...

Charlotte airport is in the northwest corner of the city so fairly easy - I-85 to rt 74 then I-26 north to Asheville....

..or, for a prettier ride (once you get past Gastonia anyway 😉 ) - I-85 then hit rt 321 north at Gastonia then I-40 west on into Asheville.

85 South to 26 about 2hrs. depending on when you arrive in CLT. 5pm traffic is bad.

Thanks. I figure I need to rent a car anyhow.. gonna keep the change in my pocket and fly to Charlotte.

While smaller, Tri-cities airport in Johnson City-Bristol TN is only an hour and a half from Asheville...just in case a flight deal pops up....

Hey AP. Not sure if you're tied to any particular airline, or avoid any of the NYC area airports, but don't overlook Greenville-Spartanburg, SC. It's only an hour drive to Asheville, and a pretty drive at that for interstate driving, and SC tends to have cheap taxes on tourist things like rental cars (and hotels) so the car may be cheaper there too.

Only thing is I'm not sure if you can get there non-stop though. I bet United flies to GSP non-stop from Newark. But no clue if you can get there from LGA non-stop - possibly Delta. Southwest/AirTran flies to GSP and also LGA, but I suspect only connecting city-pair for them. Don't think JetBlue flies to GSP.

I have done the drive and found it very pleasant. Fares and schedules into Charlotte from the NY area are much better than into the other area airports.

Alan,

Another option to avoid the US 74/I-26 traffic is to take I-77N which is right near the airport then I-40W. Most of the time lower traffic and no two lanes. If you want a beer in our small town of Blk Mtn drop me a message. I have a couple of great microbrews in mind.

Really enjoyed your book on ABB.

Mike